The human rights treaties are at the core of the international system for the promotion and protection of human rights. Their power to translate rights into remedies, however, requires greater access to the system by victims of human rights violations. This volume is about access and empowerment. It will facilitate the ability of victims to complain about violations of their rights to an international body, and to have their complaints measured against clear standards. Although this system of enforcement remains open only to those whose rights have been violated by states that have permitted complaints, the complaints procedures of the UN treaty system apply to one-quarter of the world's population.